Fireworks show a go in Colorado Springs

To watch the 2019 Colorado Springs Independence Day fireworks show live, click here.

Although some southern Colorado towns have canceled or delayed Fourth of July fireworks shows for the holiday, Colorado Springs went ahead with its annual show Thursday night in Memorial Park.

Wetter weather this year compared to recent years didn’t stop shows in Manitou Springs and Caon City from being canceled out of fire danger concerns, but officials in Colorado Springs believe conditions are safe to allow their show.

Brad Walters, of Western Enterprises Inc., was part of the crew setting up the fireworks.

“I’ve been doing it for 30 years,” he said. “I think everyone should have shows this year because it may be awhile before we see such favorable conditions again.”

Walters said what determines how busy his crew is in a given year is not the weather, but the cost of fireworks, most of which are made in China.

“It’s too expensive and too dangerous to make them much in the U.S. anymore,” he said. “And if President Trump’s plan to increase tariffs on imports goes through, fireworks are going to cost a lot more. Communities have to decide whether they can afford it or accept the liability if something goes wrong during a show.”

Spectators began showing up early at Memorial Park to claim the best viewing spots for Thursday’s show.

Stephan Quenun, a spectator, offered a more serious perspective on the matter.

“This is Independence Day, and we should not go just for celebration,” he said. “We should think about those who lost their lives fighting for this country.”
Weather was nearly a factor with a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch issued for El Paso County during the late afternoon, but no rain fell in the park.

Many spectators remember getting soaked by a storm that delayed last year’s holiday show.